P N E 
for a dean or provoft, and four prebendaries, with other 
rninifters. The college is faid to have been of the foun¬ 
dation of one of the Saxon kings. It was diflfolved by 
William Warlewafl, biffiop of Exeter, on the refufal of 
its religious to difcard their wives in obedience to the 
decrees of the fynod held in London A. D. 1102, by 
which celibacy was enjoined to the clergy. That pre¬ 
late afterwards fettled here a prior and canons regular of 
the order of St. Auguftine. The benefactions conferred 
on this priory by earl Baldwin and others were immenfe, 
and rendered it the richeft monaftic inflitution in the 
diocefe of Exeter. Its revenues at the time of the difl'o- 
lution were valued at 912I. 12s. id. per annum. The 
fcite was granted by queen Elizabeth to Arthur Cham- 
pernon, efq. Here was alfo an hofpital for lepers. The 
parifli ofPlympton St. Mary, excluflve of Plympton Earl, 
contains, according to the parliamentary returns, 27a 
houfes, and 1727.inhabitants. 
Near Plympton is Boringdon, the ancient feat of the 
Parkers, and now the property of their reprefentative 
John Parker, baron Boringdon and earl Morley. The 
maniion, which was built in the fourteenth century, has 
been converted into a farm-houfe, and has confequently 
undergone great alteration and diminution fince the re¬ 
moval of the family-feat to Saltram, in the neighbour¬ 
hood. Saltram is remarkable for the beauty of its litu- 
atioti ; for, exclufive of the diverfity of landfcape dis¬ 
played by the furrounding pleafure-grounds, the profpeCts 
which it commands of Plymouth Sound, the town, 
citadel, Mount Edgecumbe, and the endlefs variety of 
effefts peculiar to the fea and harbour, are extremely in- 
terefting. The houfe is the largeft in the county, and 
contains a valuable collection of paintings by ancient and 
modern mailers. 
Plymstock, is a town and parifli on the Plym, be¬ 
low Plympton St. Mary, near, the fea, and three miles 
fouth by weft from Plympton Earl. Population 2164. 
Beauties of England, vol. iv. Wilkes's Britijh Directory, 
vol. iv. Oldfield’s Reprefentative Hifi. vol. iii. 
PLYNTE'RIA, afeflival among the Greeks, in honour 
of Aglauros, or rather of Minerva, who received from 
the daughter of Cecrops the name of Aglauros. The 
word feems to be derived from wAvmr, to wafh, becaufe, 
during the folemnity, they undreffed the flatue of the 
goddefs, and wqjhed it. The day on which it was obfer- 
ved, was univerfally looked upon as unfortunate and 
inaufpicious; and, on that account, no perfon was permit¬ 
ted to appear in the temples. It was alfo forbidden to 
purfue any work whatever on the day of this feflival, even 
in cafes of neceflity. It was then allowable by the law 
of Solon to fwear by the three names of Jupiter; Propi¬ 
tious, Expiator, and Defender. For the ceremonies ob- 
ferved at this folemnity,fee Potter’s Archaeol. Graec. tom.i. 
PLZEN. See Pilsen. 
PNEU'MA,/. [Greek.] In Hippocrates, fometimes im¬ 
ports fpirit, air, or vapour; and frequently it fignifies the 
breath ; that is, the air drawn in by infpiration, and expel¬ 
led during expiration. But, by the above-quoted author, 
it is often ufed to exprefs a difficult, ffiort, and laborious, 
refpiration. 
PNEUMATIC, or Pneumatical, adj. [from trnvpa, 
Gr.] Moved by wind; relative to wind.—I fell upon the 
making of pneumatical trials, whereof I gave an account 
in a book about the air. Boyle. —That the air near the 
furface of the earth will expand itfelf, when the preflure 
of the incumbent atmofphere is taken off, may be feen in 
the experiments made by Boyle in his pneumatic engine. 
Locke’s Elem. of Nat. Phil. 
The lemon uncorrupt with voyage long, 
To vinous fpirit added, 
They with pneumatic engine ceafelefs draw. Phillips. 
Confifting of fpirit or wind.—All folid bodies confifl 
of parts pneumatical and tangible; the pneumatical fub- 
Vol. XX. No. 1404. 
P N E 721 
fiance being in fome bodies the native fpirit of the body, 
and in fome plain air that is gotten in. Bacon. 
Pneumatic Sect of Physicians. See Pathology; 
vol. xix. p. 12. 
PNEUMAT'ICS, f. [from the Greek mtvp.cc, fpirit, 
breath; air, vapour.] From the different acceptations of 
this word, either as an incorporeal fubftance, or as air, 
there arife two forts of pneumatics. 
1. Pneumatics, in the fchools, was frequently ufed for 
the doCtrine and contemplation of fpirits, and fpiritual 
fubftance? ; as God,angels, and the human foul. In this 
fenfe Pneumatics coincide with what we otherwife call 
Metaphyfics. See that article, vol. xv. 
2. Pneumatics, is more commonly ufed among us for 
the doCtrine of the air, or that part of natural philofophy 
which treats of the nature, properties, and effeCts, of the 
air. Thus we make it a branch of Mechanics; becaufe 
it confiders the air in motion, with the effeCts of it. It 
is certainly a filler of Hydrollatics; the one confidering 
air in the fame manner as the other does water. Wolfius, 
in lieu of Pneumatics, ufes the word Aerometry, q. d. “ the 
art of meafuring the air." The doCtrine and laws of Pneu¬ 
matics will be found under the Article Mechanics, vol. 
xiv. p. 722. See alfo Air, Air-pump, &c. vol. i. and 
Atmosphere, vol. ii. 
PNEUMATOCE'LE, f. [from the Gr. mtvp.cc, wind, 
and jojAij, a tumour.] A fwelling containing air: alfo a 
wind-rupture; a complaint which is fpoken of by many 
furgical writers, but has no real exiftence. Hernial tu¬ 
mours do, indeed, fometimes include air, which is com¬ 
bined within the protruded bowel, or eife produced in the 
cellular membrane from putrefaction in the floughing 
Hate of the difeafe : yet it is not the accidental prefence 
of fuch air that conflitutes the rupture or hernia, but the 
protrufion of fome of the vifcera from the cavity of the 
abdomen. 
PNEUMATO'DES, f. A word ufed by Hippocrates to 
exprefs a perfon who fetches his breath ffiort and quick : 
and fometimes for one who has his belly or ilia much dif- 
tended by flatulencies. Pneumutias is alfo ufed in the 
fame double fenfe. 
PNEUMATOL'OGIST, f. [from pneumatology .] One 
fkilled in pneumatology. 
PNEUMATOL'OG Y, f. [from the Gr. smiles, fpirit, 
and Aoyo;, a defeription.] The doCtrine of fpiritual exif¬ 
tence.—The branch which treats of the nature and ope¬ 
rations of mind has by fome been called pneumatology. 
Reid. 
PNEUMATOM'ACHI, /. [from the Gr. mtvpoc, the 
Spirit, and pcc^ppat, tooppofe,] Heretics of the fourth 
century who oppofed the proper divinity of the Holy 
Spirit. 
PNEUMATOM'PH ALUS, /. [from mtvp.ee, wind, and 
e/zpaAoj, the navel.] A rupture of the navel, containing 
air, or fuppofed to be produced by wind. 
PNEUMATO'SIS, f. [Greek.] A term denoting large 
accumulations of air in any cavity of the body. See Em- 
phyfema, vol. xix. p. 342. 
PNEUMATOS'OPHY, /. [from the Gr. mtvp.ee, fpirit-. 
and aotpici, wifdom.] Pneumatology; the knowledge of 
fpiritual fubfiflencies. 
PNEU'MON, /’. [Greek.] The lungs. 
PNEUMONAN'THE, f in botany. See Gentiana. 
PNEUMO'NIA,/ [from the Gr. mtvp.u, the lungs.] An 
inflammation of the lungs and its inverting membrane. 
It includes, therefore, both the forms of the difeafe, 
peripneumony and pleurify. See vol. xix. p. 242. 
PNEUMON'IC, adj. [from pneumon.] Belonging to 
the lungs ; good for difeafes of the lungs. 
PNEUMON'ICS, J. Medicines proper in difeafes of the 
lungs, in which refpiration is afteCted. Of this number 
are fulphur, lung-wort, hyffop, ground-ivy, and colt’s- 
foot. 
PNEUMO'RA, f. in entomology, a genus of infeCts 
8 X of 
